


I see your true colours

by mariothellama



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Castles, Disability, Fairy Godparents, Finding true love, Happy Ending, Healing, Horses, Learning Through Suffering, M/M, Magic, Mystery, Pet dragon, Rose Tattoo, Seeing Someone's True Beauty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 04:21:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14012088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/pseuds/mariothellama
Summary: Robert is the handsomest man in his village, but dreams of adventure. One day his horse bolts and leads him to a mysterious castle on the edge of the forest. Of course he is going to go inside to investigate!





	I see your true colours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Blue_Night](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/gifts).



> My dearest Blue_Night
> 
> Happy Birthday! I hope that you have had a wonderful day full of all the happiness and joy that you deserve and that you have an amazing year to come!

Robert Lewandowski was the handsomest man in the village. Obviously he didn’t think that himself, but he’d heard people say it. And he couldn’t ignore how all the girls behaved when he was around, blushing, smoothing down the skirts of their dresses, playing with their hair, trying to catch his attention without looking too obvious about it. He wouldn’t have minded it if some of them had actually tried to have a meaningful conversation with him, but instead they just gazed at him adoringly from under fluttering eyelashes.

He was polite of course, smiling and saying hello, careful never to pay any one of them more attention than the others as he went about his business. And that wasn’t very difficult as he didn’t seem to be particularly interested in any of the girls, at least not in the way he should be as a handsome, eligible bachelor, especially one who was long past marriageable age. He dreamed instead of adventure, of travel, of seeing new things and meeting interesting people. But he had duties and responsibilities that kept him here in the village and a widowed mother and a sister that he loved very much.

There was one time that Robert felt free, when he could let his imagination and his fantasies run riot, and that was when he had the rare opportunity to ride Bravewind in the forest. Bravewind was really a working horse, but Robert liked to pretend that his mount was a noble steed and that he himself was a knight or hero, galloping towards adventure. He knew that this was childish and stupid, not how a grown man with adult responsibilities was meant to behave, but he needed this outlet for his frustrations. And he liked to imagine that Bravewind felt the same. Although it was Robert who had given their horse such a fanciful name, there had been something in the animal’s expression that had convinced him that it was fitting.

One sunny spring day, he paused to let Bravewind drink from a small stream flowing through the forest. Robert dismounted, sitting on the ground next to Bravewind as he drank from his own flask of water. He had the sudden feeling that they were not alone. There was a rustling noise amidst the trees. And then there were sparks of black and gold shooting through the air above them, flashing bright in the dim light of the shady forest glade.

He stood up, ready to face the approaching danger, but Bravewind was already spooked by the mysterious light display. The horse reared up on his hind legs, pawing wildly at the air before bolting, crashing through the forest, clearly trying to escape whatever was hiding in the trees.

Robert set off in hot pursuit, worried about his beloved mount and about what the loss of their one horse would mean for his family’s livelihood. Robert could run fast, faster than anyone else in the village. Of course Bravewind was faster, but the noise and the trail of destruction he was leaving in his wake made him easy to follow.

He was sweating and panting for breath by the time his frantic chase led him out of the forest, to a place he had never seen before. There in front of him was a castle. A huge castle, just like in the fairytales that had fuelled his imagination as a small boy. There were towers and turrets, gargoyles, even a portcullis. The massive wooden door in the gatehouse stood open. Fresh hoof prints were visible in the outer courtyard. Bravewind had obviously galloped into the strange castle in his panic.

Robert screwed up his courage. He had to find Bravewind, wherever he was. And this was exactly the kind of adventure that he had been craving. Cautiously entering through the gate, Robert looked around him. No alarm bells rang. No guards appeared to investigate who the intruder was. In fact everything seemed suspiciously quiet for such an impressive fortress. It almost seemed to be deserted. And as Robert walked forward, crossing the drawbridge over the moat, he realised that the castle seemed to be a bit run down and had a faint air of neglect.

He paused before going through the portcullis gate, weighing up whether or not it was safe to do so. Maybe he was losing his reason, but a voice seemed to speak to him in his head. He could have sworn that it was one of the gargoyles!

_Come in. Make yourself at home. No harm will come to you, I promise. My Master is waiting for you._

Robert decided to accept the strange invitation. He found himself in a large inner courtyard, surrounded by buildings on three sides. One was obviously some kind of chapel. One wing must contain all the service buildings. The other wing was more stately, with an elaborately decorated façade and imposing steps leading up to the portal. Remembering the illustrations of his childhood picture books, Robert knew that this was where he would find the residential quarters of the castle and hopefully its mysterious Master.

The great hall should be on the first floor if memory served him right. It was odd that he still hadn’t encountered a single living thing, if you discounted an apparently talking gargoyle that was. But the great hall definitely seemed to be occupied. By someone. Or something.

Despite the warmth of the spring day outside, a roaring fire was blazing in the huge fireplace, casting strange shadows on the wall, shadows that looked half-human, half-beast. Something was sitting in the massive carved oak chair next to the fire, clearly feeling the chill in its bones.

Robert cleared his throat in warning as he approached the seated figure.

‘Excuse me,’ he coughed again, ‘but are you the Master of this castle? I was invited to come in by … well, I don’t exactly know by whom. I was told that you were waiting for me.’ Now that he said it out loud, it sounded absurd even to his ears.

‘I hope so. I truly hope so,’ was the curious answer.

The voice sounded human, soft, light and musical, seemingly at odds with the grotesque shadow flickering over the stone walls of the great hall. Emboldened, Robert stepped forward, coming face to face with what or whom must be the Master he was looking for.

His immediate response was to shrink back in horror and revulsion. He saw the look of pain and hurt at his reaction on the man’s face and hated himself for being the cause of it. So he forced himself to come closer, taking a proper look at the man before him. And this time he saw something completely different. The Master’s limbs were hideously deformed, twisted into painful shapes, held in place by large, uncomfortable looking splints and casts. But his hair shone red-gold like precious metal in the firelight. His features were delicate, his skin like porcelain, the shadows under his eyes almost violet in colour. And he had the loveliest amber-green eyes that Robert had ever seen. Despite everything, Robert found the Master somehow beautiful and there was a strange tingling sensation in the pit of his stomach as he beheld him.

‘Sit down if you want to,’ the Master encouraged him.

Robert pulled up a chair, bringing it over to sit right in front of the Master, looking at him without fear or disgust. He had the feeling that it was some time since anyone had looked at the Master like this, seeing his true self and not his apparent disability. But Robert looked direct into his eyes, seeing the beauty and love of the Masters’s soul reflected therein.

‘Tell me about yourself,’ the Master prompted.

And strangely enough Robert did. He told the Master all about his life in the village, about the girls who didn’t interest him in the slightest. About his longing for adventure. About his beloved mother and sister. About Bravewind. And then he remembered.

‘Bravewind! I need to find Bravewind! I need to go, but I’ll come back to you. I promise!’

Robert made as if to stand up, but the Master smiled at him, a slightly crooked smile that Robert found captivating.

‘It’s alright, Robert. Bravewind is safe in the castle stables. He is being taken care of. He’s already fed, watered and rubbed down.’

For some reason Robert believed the Master was telling him the truth. So instead he asked a question. ‘Were you waiting for me? Why? Why me? I don’t understand.’

The Master’s smile was slow and sad this time. ‘I can’t tell you right now. I promise that I will tell you in a year and a day, if you can bear to stay with me for a year and a day that is.’

‘Of course. But my family … ?’

‘I understand. I will arrange to have Bravewind returned to your family with a letter explaining that you have sworn an oath to stay in the castle with me for a year and a day. No harm will come to you during that time. And once the days of your oath have passed, you will be free to leave the castle. In return, Bravewind will carry as many pieces of gold as he can bear to your family, enough to keep them in comfort and security for the rest of their days.’

Robert agreed readily. Something told him that this was the adventure he had been waiting for and what kind of a hero would he be to turn such a challenge down? And of course he wanted to get to know this mysterious Master better. Not to mention the fact that his family would be safe and secure forever and his mother would never need to worry about how she was going to keep a roof over her head again.

A floating candle showed Robert to his comfortable bedchamber that night. A meal had been laid out ready for him. This was all very strange, but somehow reassuring. His needs were being looked after perfectly. Despite his excitement and the strange surroundings, Robert slept like a baby that night, cocooned safe and warm behind the drawn curtains of the carved four poster bed that dominated the room.

Water to wash with and breakfast was waiting for him when he awoke the next morning. And there were clean clothes in the massive oak chest, clothes that fitted him perfectly. This was getting stranger and stranger. Robert washed, dressed and ate, before heading downstairs, eager to explore his new surroundings.

He went straight to the great hall where he instinctively knew that the Master would be waiting for him. And he was, sitting in that oak chair, the fire blazing again.

Robert could have sworn that the Master’s face lit up as he saw him.

‘Did you sleep well, Robert?’ he asked. ‘Is your bedchamber to your satisfaction? Do you have everything that you need?’

‘Yes. Everything is perfect. Except … ‘

‘Except … ?’

‘I’m not used to eating alone. W-w-w-w-would it be acceptable if I could eat with you from now on?’

A look that he couldn’t read flickered over the Master’s face. ‘Of course. I just thought that you might prefer to eat alone. That the sight of me might ruin your appetite.’

Robert’s heart clenched in his chest. ‘No! Never!’ he exclaimed, gratified to see the Master smile.

The Master explained the rules. Robert was free to spend his days how he wished, to explore the castle, to go everywhere except for the Master’s private apartments. And the Master understood that a young, active man like Robert couldn’t be kept cooped up inside, so he was welcome to walk in the forest or to ride one of the horses in the stables whenever he wanted.

‘I trust you to keep your oath,’ was all that the Master said. And he was right, Robert would never break his oath, not even if he wanted to.

The year passed quickly. Robert never saw another living soul save for the Master. Things just seemed to happen in the castle. Food was cooked and cleared away. Clothes were washed and reappeared in the oak chest as if by magic. Robert loved exploring the castle, climbing to the tops of the highest towers. He spent hours in the castle library, letting his imagination roam freely in the pages of the books he found there. And he rode out in the forest on a beautiful black stallion he found in the castle stables, although he did sometimes miss Bravewind.

He missed his family as well, even if he knew that they were being taken good care of. And he wished that the Master was able to accompany him on his expeditions, for the time he spent with the Master was the best part of his day, especially when they ate dinner together and sat long into the night in the great hall, talking and reading.

Finally the days of his oath were nearly up. A year had passed. Robert didn’t want to leave the castle or the Master, but it was hard for him to imagine spending the rest of his life in this enclosed, lonely, isolated world. And he was both curious and apprehensive about the secret that he knew would be revealed on this day.

Anticipation crackled in the air after they had eaten breakfast together, neither of them having much appetite. The Master looked at him, a question in his eyes.

‘Would you help me outside, Robert? I want to feel the sun on my skin again for one last time. I haven’t been outside since … ’

Dread prickled at Robert’s skin, but he agreed, bearing the Master’s weight as they slowly and laboriously made their way out of the great hall, down the castle steps and into the walled garden. He gently helped the obviously exhausted Master to sit down on the grass in a sunny spot, settling himself down beside him.

He waited for the Master to speak, but no words were forthcoming. So it was Robert who began the conversation.

‘Will you tell me about the markings on your arm? I suspect that they might be part of the secret that you are scared to speak about.’

Robert had noticed the strange picture the first time he met the Master. It was an image of a rose. That was not strange in itself, but the rose seemed to be dying. And even stranger, the rose on the Master’s arm had appeared to droop and decay a little more each day Robert spent in the castle.

The Master nodded sadly. ‘Yes, you are right. I will tell you the whole story. And I understand that then you will leave the castle, never to return.’

Now Robert was really worried, but he waited patiently for the Master to tell his tale.

‘It all began just over a year ago. I was the master of this castle. I was young and carefree. I had the whole world at my feet, my whole life ahead of me. I was happy and felt as if nothing could go wrong. I was out riding one day, not concentrating, not paying attention. And suddenly there was a woman on the road. She seemed to come out of nowhere. I tried to reign in my stallion, but it was too late and she was knocked to the ground. I dismounted and apologised. I felt terrible. My carelessness could have caused someone to be seriously injured.

But the woman must have been some kind of enchantress. She cursed me with the injuries I could have inflicted on her through my thoughtless behaviour. She cursed me to live in this damaged body without hope of healing until someone could see me as I truly am, could love me despite my outward appearance. She branded the rose onto the skin of my forearm and told me that one day it would begin to wilt and from that time on I would only have a year and a day to find someone who could love me. If not, I would be cursed to live in this body and alone forever. The rose began to wilt the day you found your way to the castle. And now the year and a day are up and it is too late.’

A single tear fell from the Master’s eyes and splashed onto the image of the dying rose on his arm.

‘But it’s not too late,’ exclaimed Robert. ‘I found my way to you. I saw your true beauty the very first time we met. And I love you.’ He bent his head, pressing his lips against the decaying rose, feeling the Master’s skin warm and alive beneath his mouth.

There would undoubtedly have been a tender moment between them were it not for a sudden flash of black and golden light that temporarily blinded them. Once their eyes had blinked open again, a woman stood in front of them, smoothing down her black dress and flicking imaginary specks of dust from her sleeves.

‘You!’ Robert and the Master exclaimed in perfect unison.

‘Yes, I’m sorry that I startled your horse, Robert, but sometimes even destiny needs a little helping hand. And as for you, Marco. Well, you really took your time about things. When I said a year and a day, I didn’t mean you to wait until the very last day. It was obvious that Robert loved the true you long, long ago.’

Marco, for that was the Master’s real name, hung his head in shame. ‘I hoped so, but I scarcely dared to dream that such a handsome, kind man could love someone like me. I was scared that he would leave me once he knew the truth and I wanted to spend every day that I could with him before I lost him forever.’

‘Really and truly?’ Robert’s heart was swelling with love and joy as he wrapped his arms round Marco.

Mathilda coughed. ‘I hate to interrupt this romantic moment and I know that you two lovebirds are eager for true love’s first kiss, but there are some things to be sorted out first.’ She looked around thoughtfully. Black and gold sparks flashed from her wand as she waved it over the castle, bringing it back to life. Trees and flowers bloomed. The halls and courtyards were filled with bustling personnel.

‘Oh, don’t worry about them,’ Mathilda reassured Marco, ‘they were just having a nice holiday somewhere. Now who have I forgotten? I know!’ She waved a wand in the direction of the gatehouse. Moments later a small, green dragon came running up to Marco, climbing all over him and licking his face. Marco petted the eager little dragon, equally happy to be reunited. ‘I know, I’ve missed you every bit as much, Smaragd.’

‘Was he … ?’ Robert looked at Mathilda suspiciously.

‘Yes, Robert. You weren’t imagining things. Young Smaragd here was indeed the talking gargoyle that lured you in the gate. He was part of my master plan as well.’ Mathilda leaned down to scratch the dragon’s eye ridges, making him chirp happily.

‘Plan?’ Now it was Marco’s turn to sound suspicious.

‘Yes, Marco. Believe it or not I am actually your fairy godmother and this was all for your own good. I mean, you were the most eligible bachelor in the kingdom. Knights and princes, fair maidens and princesses were all lining up to be by your side. How would you ever have known who was the right one, which one of them loved you for your true self? And you would never have fallen in love with a simple village boy. No offence, Robert, for I know that you are worth ten princes.’

‘None taken,’ Robert grinned at her.

‘And now you know that Robert loves you for you, Marco. Not for your title or fame, your wealth or your magnificent castle. Or even just for your undoubted good looks. And talking of good looks … ’

There was another flash of black and gold and Marco’s twisted limbs straightened as if by magic, the splints and casts falling away into nothingness. He stood up, a little wobbly at first, but of course his beloved Robert was there to help him.

The two of them stood there face to face for the first time, holding one another’s hands, looking deep into each other’s eyes.

True love’s first kiss was every bit as magical as either of them had imagined, even if it did get interrupted by an over-exited, emerald-green dragon wanting to join in from time to time. And of course …

THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER (especially after Bravewind and Robert’s family came to live in the castle as well.)


End file.
